Gordon Shedden has praised Rob Collard for ‘fair racing’ on his way to victory in the third British Touring Car Championship race at Snetterton, with the Collard himself adding that he wasn’t expecting the move.
WSR driver Collard had led the majority of the much-delayed final race of the day, having got past early leader Jason Plato on the second lap.
But the BMW driver wasn’t able to open up enough of a lead to be safe, which culminated when Shedden closed him down and mounted an overtake on the final lap of the race.
The Scot admitted afterwards that his confidence grew in the closing laps, allowing him to charge down Collard for his second victory of the season.
“For me, obviously, that was a fantastic win,” said Shedden. “Three laps from the end, I began to think I might be able to catch Collard and my car just came alive.
“With two laps to go, I felt sure I could have a go and that a win might be on the cards and then it all happened on the last lap, when it was bumper-to-bumper until we reached the chequered flag.
“It was fair racing, and I hope we gave the crowds a thrilling end to the day. I couldn’t be happier.”
With the next round being at Shedden’s home circuit in Scotland, he travels home on the crest of a wave and has moved up to fourth overall in the drivers’ championship as a result.
“It has put me back in contention in fourth in the championship and I will be heading to my home event at Knockhill in two weeks’ time on a real high!”
Collard himself added that he wasn’t expecting the pass from Shedden on the last lap, even though his lead was being rapidly eroded by the former champion.
“It’s a bit unfortunate not to win race three having led it for so long, but Gordon Shedden put a move on me that I wasn’t expecting and I just couldn’t defend it,” said Collard, who now leads team-mate Sam Tordoff by just three points in the championship race. “Still, second place with 48 kg on board is a good result and I’ve taken back the points lead.”